UPDATE - Death toll from St. Petersburg metro blast rises to 14

UPDATES WITH REMARKS OF KREMLIN SPOKESMAN AND RUSSIAN FM, ADDS FURTHER DETAILS

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - The death toll from Monday's metro blast in St. Petersburg has increased to 14, Russian media said on Tuesday.

Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova confirmed the figure, according to Russian news agency TASS.

Skvortsova said 11 victims died at the scene and three others later died of their injuries.

She also said 49 people had been hospitalized.

According to Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee, Monday’s blast tore through a train at 2.40 p.m. local time (1140GMT) as it was traveling between Sennaya Ploshchad and Technological Institute stations.

The Russian Investigative Committee later described the explosion as a "terrorist attack”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday special services would analyze the explosion which coincided with President Vladimir Putin's visit to St. Petersburg.

"The fact that the terrorist act was committed at a time when the head of the state was in the city makes us think," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.

Peskov added any terrorist attack in Russia was a "challenge" for all Russians including Putin.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said terrorism and terrorists had no nationality.

"Terrorism is a crime against humanity and against all religions, without exception," Lavrov said at a news conference with his Kyrgyz counterpart Erlan Abdyldaev in Moscow.

Lavrov also commented on the media reports claiming that Monday's explosion was a "revenge" of Russia's policy in Syria, calling it "cynical". He called on the media to act responsibly.

- Remains of suspected suicide bomber found

Svetlana Petrenko, the spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said Tuesday that the explosive device could have been activated by a man, whose remains were found in the third car of the train.

"His identity has been already established," Petrenko was quoted as saying by TASS. She said, however, the identity would not be disclosed until the investigation was completed.

Kyrgyz media reported on Tuesday that Akbarzhon Jalilov, a 22-year-old male originally from Kyrgyzstan's Osh region, had been identified as the suspect culprit by Kyrgyz intelligence.

The train's driver, Alexander Kaverin, said he did not think about fear during the incident, according to TASS.

Kaverin said he acted in accordance with the instructions, adding he drove the train all the way to the next station.

Late on Monday, Putin laid flowers at the metro station in tribute, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia also announced three days of mourning.